The Runaway
by hockeygirl4
Summary: this takes place before season 1 and pretty much just uses the characters.
1. Chapter 1

Ok so this will basically just be using the characters, but it is before season one.

Ryan was walking through the run down streets of chino from yet another day of school. He didn't know why he even bothered to go anymore, not like he was ever going to get out of here anyway. Maybe it was still that slight hope he had that one day, just maybe he would be able to escape Chino.

He walked into his home to see his mother on the kitchen floor passed out. Someone's been drinking he thought to himself. As he walked over to her, so he could make sure she was ok, AJ came walking over. He still had his beer bottle in hand as he stared Ryan down. Ryan pretended that he didn't see him and kept walking towards his mom. "What do you think you're doing?" AJ snarled. Ryan kept walking, acting as if he couldn't hear AJ.

AJ swiftly walked up to Ryan and grabbed him by his collar. He spun Ryan around so that Ryan was facing him. Ryan could tell that AJ was pissed; this isn't going to be good Ryan thought. "When I ask you a question I expect an answer." AJ glared at Ryan. Ryan still said nothing, even if he did say something AJ would do the same thing. He threw Ryan against the wall and knelt down next to him as Ryan sat on the ground. "You better lose that attitude boy, cause I ain't gonna take it anymore." Ryan knew exactly what AJ meant, do what I say or you'll suffer. Ryan just looked at AJ praying he would leave him alone.

AJ walked away, but then turned around and said " And don't you go tellin' no one bout what you saw or what I said, you understand?" Ryan nodded. "Im gonna go and visit some people." And with that AJ was in his car and driving off. Ryan crawled over to his mom and checked to make sure she was ok, she was. Ryan had always hated his mom for the drinking and for her choice in guys, but he always made a point of checking on her. I have got to get out of this house he thought.

Ryan walked outside and sat on his front step. His neighbor and best friend Theresa walked over and sat down next to him. "Rough day?" she asked. Ryan nodded "how bout for you?" Ryan said. "Not too bad actually, so what's up?" Theresa knew something had happened, she knew that look on his face all too well. When Ryan didn't answer she said, "It's AJ again, isn't it?" Ryan just had to look at her for her to know the answer. "I'm leaving." Ryan said.

"Ryan where would you go?" Theresa asked. "I , I don't really know, but it's gotta be better then being here." Ryan said. "You know you could always stay with us, my mom wouldn't mind." Ryan sighed, "AJ would find me there, and anyway I couldn't ask your family to do that for me." Theresa knew better then to argue with him, "So where are you going to go then?" Ryan thought for a moment and then answered, "wherever the road takes me I guess. " Theresa looked at him and realized he was serious " just be careful, and remember if you ever need anything you know where I am." Ryan smiled "thanks" and with that Ryan went back into his house to pack a duffel bag.

A few minutes later he came out of his house with a duffel bag slung over his shoulder. He walked off down the street hoping it would be the last time he saw the run down homes that lined the road.

AJ was driving back to the Atwood house after hanging out with some of his friends. As he drove he saw a sandy blond haired boy walking on the side of the road. The boy looked familiar and AJ slowed up his car to get a better look. He realized it was Ryan, and then he saw the duffel bag. AJ wasn't the brightest crayon in the box, but he could figure out what Ryan was up to. He drove his car up along side of Ryan and rolled down his window. "Get in the car, Ryan." AJ barked. Ryan was stunned by what he heard and stopped walking. He looked to his left and saw AJ sitting in his car. "On the count of three you better have you're ass in this car." AJ said as he pulled out a gun. Ryan was determined not to go back, not now. He kept walking.

And I won't sit back, and take this anymore.  
'Cause I'm done with that, I've got one foot out the door.  
And to go back where I was would just be wrong I'm pressing on.

"One."

Somewhere back there I left my worries all behind.  
My problems fell out of the back of my mind.  
We're going and I'm never knowing where we're going.

"Two."

To go back to where I was would just be wrong.  
I'm pressing on.  
Pressing on, all my distress is going, going, gone.

"Three."

Ryan heard a small explosion and he turned around to see where the noise had come from. He felt a burning pain as he watched AJ drive off.

Ok so that's the first chapter, what do you think? Honesty is good, I wont be offended. Oh and the song that I used was Pressing on by Relient K. 


	2. Chapter 2

AJ sped down the road panicking that Ryan might report him. Oh god, oh god what have I done. Calm down, take a deep breath. Ya that kids too big of a wimp ta tell anybody anyway. You've got nothin' ta worry about. AJ's thoughts were starting to become less a thing of panic as he calmed himself down.

Ryan sat up and a searing pain ripped through his leg. He had been walking for about 20 minutes when AJ had shot him. Now how am I supposed to hobble a 20-minute walk when I'm shot? Ryan thought of anything that might be helpful, but nothing came to mind. He stood himself up using a near by fence for support. He hopped on his good leg while sliding his hand on top of the fence to keep his balance. The pain was becoming unbearable and Ryan was getting dizzy. He decided to sit down and give himself a breather.

Austin, a boy from one of Ryan's classes, was riding his bike when he saw a bleeding Ryan sitting on the side of the road. The site of Ryan almost made him fall off his bike, he looked terrible. He was pale, his pant leg was bloody and his eyes were slowly closing despite the afternoon sun. Austin hopped off his bike and let it fall to the ground as he jogged over to Ryan. "Hey, Ryan, buddy can you hear me?" Austin questioned as he knelt down to Ryan's face. "Hey man." Ryan responded weakly. "Alright, sit tight i'm gonna go call 911 I'll be right back, ok?" Austin said. "Does it look like i'm goin' anywhere?" Ryan replied sarcastically as Austin ran over to the nearest house.

Austin pounded on the door and waited for someone to come. A woman in her fifties came to the door. " What are you-" She stopped short at the site of Austin's shirt stained with blood. "Oh, my word, alright you wait right here I'm gonna go call 991." Austin looked back at Ryan, he looks so out of it Austin thought.

"911 what is the nature of your emergency?"

"Hi, there's a boy here and he's covered with blood, I don't know what happened, but his friend looks like he needs some medical help."

"Alright mam, no need to tell us your address we traced the call and an ambulance has already been sent to the scene. Would you like me to stay on the line with you while you wait?"

"No, that's alright."

The lady walked back to Austin with a towel in her hand "Son, do you think you could wrap that around his wound? Not to be rude, but I don't want to touch his blood and seeing as you're already covered in it-" Austin cut her off, grabbed the towel and ran back over to Ryan. "Hey Ryan, stay with me man. That lady just called 911 and an ambulance is on its way." Ryan was in a daze, he became numb to the pain and everything that happened around him was a blur. Austin wrapped the towel around Ryan's leg. Ryan opened his eyes up as he heard the screech of the sirens and the flashing lights of the ambulance. 


	3. Chapter 3

The paramedics rushed out of their ambulance and over to Ryan and Austin. "Son, we're going to have to ask you to step back for a second so we can help out your friend." One of the paramedics told Austin. Austin did as he was told and watched the paramedics put Ryan on a stretcher. 

A cop car had also come to the scene and the cop went over to talk with Austin. "Hello, I'm officer Bob Reynolds. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions about what happened here?" Officer Reynolds said as he looked at Austin. "I don't mind, but I didn't see what happened. I just kinda found him there on my way home." Austin replied. "Alright well do you know the victims name and who may have shot him?" Officer Reynolds asked while getting out a notebook and a pencil to jot down what Austin said. "His name is Ryan Atwood. The only person I can really think of would be his mom's boyfriend. Ryan doesn't say much about him, but from the few times I've seen them together Ryan kept his distance and AJ would snap at him. I dunno, but there's just something that's telling me he probably was involved." Austin answered. "Alright, well thank you for your cooperation. Would you like a ride down to the hospital so you can see your friend?" Officer Reynolds kindly asked. "Oh, that'd be great Officer Reynolds." Austin said grateful that he didn't have to ride his bike.

* * *

Ryan was confused at first as to why these people were surrounding him and why was his leg throbbing? Then it all came back to him, running away, being shot, and Austin coming to his aid. Ryan looked at one of the nurses and asked, "Am I going to be alright?" The nurse smiled and replied kindly "You'll do just find, we had to give you a blood transfusion, but your surgery went wonderfully. You should be back to normal in no time." "So then my leg is fine?" "Mr. Atwood you were quite lucky. You only have some fairly minor muscle damage, but at the most you'll need a cane to assist you until you are fully healed." the nurse answered. Looks like the Atwood luck didn't catch up to me just yet Ryan thought to himself. Ryan was torn from his thoughts when Austin walked in. 

"Hey man, how are ya feeling?" Austin asked as he sat in the chair by Ryan's bed and the nurse walked out. Austin and Ryan weren't very close, but they knew each other from school and soccer. "Not too bad actually, given the circumstances." Ryan replied.

"Oh and I called Theresa, Jake, and Tim to tell them what happened. They said they're going to come and visit you soon." Austin said. Ryan was happy that he was going to get to see his friends soon and that they cared enough to come and visit. "Oh and the hospital called your mom and your brother, they're coming too." Austin added as he looked at Ryan's face for a reaction. "Oh, ok." Ryan said as he thought about what could happen when his family came to see him.

Just then there was a knock at the door. "Come in." Ryan said, curious as to who had come first, he was secretly hoping it was his friends. Tim, Jake, and Theresa walked through the door.

"Hey man." Jake said as he walked through the door. Jake had spiky brown hair and blue eyes. He had met Ryan after he moved to Chino at the age of ten when his family had encountered some financial troubles.

"Dude, we leave you alone for 3 seconds and you get shot." Tim said with a smile on his face. Tim was the more laid back one of the group and he had known Ryan for almost as long as Theresa.

"Hey Ryan." Theresa said. She probably knew the most about what happened, after Ryan of course.

Ryan smiled from his bed, "Hey guys, nice to see you too." "Well, I guess I'll go now that you guys are here. Hope you feel better Ryan." Austin said as he left the room.Theresa spoke up, "So, Ryan, how are you feeling?" "I'm not feeling too much, way too many meds for that." Ryan responded.

Knock Knock

"Come in." Ryan said cautiously knowing it was either a nurse or his family, neither of which he wanted to see.

His mother, and Trey walked through the door. "Well, I'm just gonna go so you guys can um, talk." Theresa said as she hinted for the others to follow her. Theresa walked towards the door with the others behind her. "Bye guys." Ryan said. "Take care man." Jake said with a wave as he walked out the door. "Ya man, get better we need you on the soccer team." Tim said as he too left.

Great, it's just me and my family now. Ryan thought to himself.

AN: Thanks to everyone that has reviewed and even to the silent readers. Sorry that the chapters are so short, hopefully they'll get longer. A bit of this story is already written, but any ideas could always be added in and changes can be made. Hope you enjoyed and review if you like


	4. Chapter 4

"Oh, Ryan I'm so glad you're all right." Dawn said as she sat in the chair by his bedside. Ryan could smell the alcohol on her breath. Had she really been drinking while he was in the hospital "Ryan, did you see who shot you?" Dawn asked. Ryan's anger was building; did she really have to ask? "Who the hell do you think? Your bastard of a boyfriend did!" Ryan yelled a little louder then he had intended to. Trey was angry now, he could have dealt with it if it was some gang or if Ryan was just an innocent bystander and the bullet had found him instead of its intended target, but when it was AJ that was just too much. "Do you know where he went?" Trey asked ready to find him and settle the mess on his own terms before the cops even got on AJ's trail. "No, after he shot me I just kind of collapsed. I saw him drive off, but I couldn't tell you where for the life of me." Ryan answered honestly. Trey just nodded. Dawn sat in shock, sure AJ had hit Ryan once or twice, but she never thought he would shoot Ryan. Just then Ryan's doctor walked in. "Hello, Mrs. Atwood, may I speak with you outside?" The doctor asked politely. "Yes, yes of course." Dawn said as she stood up.

Outside Ryan's Room

"Mrs. Atwood, your son, as you know, was shot in the leg. He will be fine, but Ryan will need to regain the strength in his leg and until that occurs he will need a cane to assist his walking, which the hospital is providing for him. The police department also asked me to tell you that an officer and a lawyer will be coming up, probably sometime tomorrow, to question Ryan and build up a case against their suspect. Your son should be able to leave the hospital in a couple days. So, how does that sound?" Ryan's doctor said.

"That sounds wonderful, I can't thank you enough." Dawn said as she shook his hand and walked into Ryan's room.

Meanwhile Inside Ryan's Room

"How are you feeling little brother?" Trey asked as he sat in the chair Dawn had left empty. "She was drinking today, wasn't she?" Ryan questioned while he continued to stare at the bed sheets. Trey knew better than to lie to his brother "Yeah, but Ryan you know how she is. This is just what she does." Ryan continued to stare at the fascinating plain white sheets "She promised me she would stop four days ago. Four days Trey, she couldn't even manage to last four days without it." Trey opened his mouth to speak when Dawn walked back into the room.

"Ryan, your doctor told me that you're going to be just fine." Dawn said. "Like you even care." Ryan mumbled under his breath. Ryan might have thought she couldn't hear him, but Dawn heard him clear as day. She knew she wasn't the best mother, but she thought Ryan at least knew she cared about him. "He also said that a police officer and a lawyer are going to visit you tomorrow just to ask some questions and that you should be able to leave here in a couple days." Ryan just huffed at this. Wonderful, I get to leave this awful place just to go back home, that's just great.

"Well, we should probably get back home." Dawn said wanting desperately to escape the awkward silence that was quickly enveloping them. "Yeah, I'll come by tomorrow to see how you're doing, plus you should probably rest a bit." Trey said as he gave Ryan a brotherly hug and left with Dawn.

Down in the Hospital Cafeteria

Theresa, Jake, and Tim had decided to stay at the hospital so that they could check in on Ryan after his family had left. "Do you think they left yet? I mean its been like an hour, Dawn wouldn't stay much longer than that, right?" Theresa said as she looked at Jake and Tim for answers. "How about we go to his room, look through the window and see if they're there? If they are we can come back down here, if they're not we can go in." Jake responded. "Alright, that sounds like a good plan to me." Theresa said in agreement. "I just hope he didn't try to jump out the window or anything like that." Tim said jokingly as the three friends headed towards Ryan's room.

Jake peered through the window to find a bored Ryan flicking through channels on the TV and no sign of Dawn or Trey. "Alright, the coast is clear." Jake informed his friends and they entered the room.

"We're back! We just couldn't get enough of this place, what with the wonderful décor and you can't beat that view." Tim said as he walked in and threw the curtains open to reveal an old abandoned warehouse and a set of train tracks. Theresa and Jake stifled their laughter at Tim's attempt to lighten the mood and cheer Ryan up.

"Ha-ha glad to know you guys came back for the room because here I thought it had something to do with me." Ryan said sarcastically. Ryan was different around his friends. He could joke and relax with them; he didn't have to worry around them. His family didn't get to see that side of him though. They only knew him as the angry closed off teen that couldn't seem to keep himself out of trouble.

"Nope, it was just this awesome room that brought us back." Tim replied with a straight face. Theresa slapped Tim's arm "So, do you know when they're letting you out of this place?" she asked changing the subject. "Well, apparently the doctor told my mom I'd be out of here in a couple days." Ryan replied. "That's good then-" Jake said as he was cut off by a nurse walking down the hall who had poked her head into the room "Visiting hours are over kids, you should wrap things up." The nurse said as she moved on to the next room. "I guess we're not wanted here anymore." Tim said in his usual tone.

"Bye Ryan, we'll probably stop by again tomorrow." Theresa said. Tim and Jake said their good byes and the three were off.

AN: So that's a little longer, not much, but a little. Reviews are appreciated as always and ideas are welcome.


End file.
